Malinda Lo: Inheritance

She was suspicious. “How big?”

“Have you heard of Sophia Curtis?”

“Of course.” Who hadn’t? Sophia Curtis was a former war-zone reporter who had become a celebrity after being captured by Somali pirates during an undercover story on the trafficking of women. After her triumphant return—freed by US Navy SEALs—she launched a prime-time talk show in which she interviewed everyone from death-row inmates who claimed they were innocent to Oscar-nominated actors. She had a reputation for being fair, but more than that, she had one of the biggest audiences on television. It didn’t hurt that she was gorgeous and had married one of her Navy SEAL rescuers.

“Ms. Curtis is very eager to meet the both of you,” Highsmith said. “We think it would be best if she interviewed your families as well, just to get everyone’s perspectives. We’d like to do it on Monday. What do you say?”

Reese glanced at her parents. Her mom gave her a thin-lipped nod. Her dad looked irritated. “I can’t agree to anything without talking to David first,” Reese finally said.

Highsmith smiled. “Of course. I’m visiting David and his family right after I leave here. I can give you two a little time to think it over, but we’ll need your decision by two PM today so we can get things in motion.”

That was only a few hours away. She looked at Agent Forrestal, who was standing with his hands behind his back, his face blank. The rushed nature of Highsmith’s plan struck Reese as particularly suspect. And why weren’t her parents saying anything? She needed to talk to them alone, and it seemed that the only way to get Forrestal and Highsmith to leave was to agree to think about it. “Fine,” she said. “We’ll let you know by two.”

“Good.” He unfolded the paper he had been holding and showed it to her. Her stomach sank as she recognized the lab report she had stolen from Blue Base the day she and David had escaped from the underground bunker. “Before I go, you should know that I saw this on your coffee table. That’s no place for a classified document like this, so I’ll take it with me.”

The last time she had seen that paper was when David’s dad was reading it in this room yesterday afternoon. He must have set it down, and she had completely forgotten about it. “You can’t—” she began, but he slipped the paper into his breast pocket.

“I’ll do you the favor of not asking how you obtained this, and you won’t be prosecuted for theft.”

Reese felt helpless, and it made her angry. Before she could say anything more her mom stood. “We’ll be in touch,” she said, the words clipped.

“Wonderful.” Highsmith pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to Reese’s mom. “Here’s where you can reach me. I’ll expect your call very soon.”

“We don’t have any choice,” Reese’s mom said after Forrestal and Highsmith left. “Before you came downstairs, Agent Forrestal made it pretty clear that if we don’t cooperate, there will be consequences.”

Reese watched her pace back and forth in front of the curtained bay windows. “Like what?”

“They said if you continue to reveal classified information you’re in danger of being prosecuted for treason.”

The words sounded like something out of a spy movie. “Are you serious?” Reese asked, shocked.

Her mom stopped pacing and looked at Reese, crossing her arms. Her face was drawn. “Yes. They said you’re violating the terms of the nondisclosure agreement you signed after your medical treatment back in June. I think we could have contested it in court—you’re a minor—but then Highsmith saw that document on the table.”

“Cat, you’re scaring her,” said Reese’s dad.

“She deserves to know what she’s up against.”

Rick held up his hands. “I agree, but let’s not take this to the extreme.” He looked at Reese from where he was still seated on the couch. “I don’t want you doing an interview set up by people who are clearly not looking out for your best interests.”

“If she doesn’t do it, they might take her away again,” Cat said.

“You don’t know that,” Rick argued.

“They said they only let her go because of the public pressure we applied—”

“And that public pressure will prevent them from taking her again.”

Cat shook her head. “Things have changed. The Imria have come back. The government has new priorities now, and I don’t think they include Reese and David.”

“Wait,” Reese interrupted. She hated it when her parents talked about her as if she wasn’t in the room. “Don’t I get any say in this? What if I don’t want to do this interview?”

“I don’t want you to do it either,” her dad said, surprising her. It was so rare that they agreed.

Her mom let out a frustrated noise. “Nobody wants this, but—”

“Why do they even want to do this interview now?” Reese asked, sitting down next to her dad. “Yesterday they didn’t want me to talk at all.”

“International pressure, I think,” her dad said. “The United States is facing a lot of criticism from around the world about how they’ve been handling this Imrian situation, and it didn’t look good yesterday when that agent stopped you and David from talking. I think the government wants to set you up with this interview for PR purposes, but they’re going to control it the whole way. Even if you’re interviewed by Sophia Curtis, I doubt they’ll let you tell the truth.”

“Then what would be the point of doing the interview? We should tell our story to Bin 42—”

“No,” her mom snapped. “You are not talking to that website. That would definitely put you in danger with the government, and I won’t let you do that. I should have stopped you yesterday before you went outside.”

“Cat—”

She turned to her ex-husband. “We’re going to do this. We’re going to take this interview with Sophia Curtis and play along with them. I need some time to figure out what else we can do, and it can’t hurt to give them something they want.”

“Mom—”

“I’m not sending her into that interview without someone to advocate for her,” Rick said, ignoring Reese’s interruption.

“I’ll be there,” Cat said.

“I mean a media professional,” Rick said. “I’m going to call Diana Warner.”

“Who’s that?” Cat asked.

“She’s a media consultant. She’ll train Reese on how to talk to Sophia. She’ll go over the content of the interview in advance, and she’ll be on top of Sophia’s producers to make sure Reese is presented in the best possible light.”

Reese asked, “What about David? If we do this he needs to get this training too.”

Her dad nodded. “Sure. He’s part of the deal.”

Her mom seemed doubtful. “You think this media consultant can make any headway against Highsmith’s agenda? I don’t know.”

“We have to try it,” her dad said.

Her mom nudged the coffee table away from the couch and sat down on its edge, facing Reese and her dad. “Fine. We’ll hire the media consultant. Are you okay with that, honey?”

Reese glanced from her mom to her dad and crossed her arms. “Do I have any choice?”

Her dad scooted toward her and put an arm around her shoulders. “I know it feels like we’re taking over here, but we’re only trying to keep you safe.”

All of her dad opened up to her as he drew her into his embrace, and Reese was too startled to resist.

“Your mom and I—no, I shouldn’t speak for her. I am really, really glad that you’re back in one piece. I don’t know what I would’ve done if we hadn’t gotten you back, sweetie.”

Her father’s interior landscape was an unsettling combination of the familiar and the strange. His physical body—the way his muscles moved, the beat of his heart—was new to her, and she almost recoiled from the intimacy of knowing him this way. But his sense of self, his consciousness: These were indelibly stamped with a deep-rooted relatedness to Reese. He was her father. As he spoke she could barely pay attention to his words, because she was so overwhelmed by his feelings. He felt guilty. Guilty for his absences over the years. Guilty that he hadn’t been able to prevent what had happened to her. And he had a desperate fear that she would never forgive him.